My End is Your Salvation
by sweetwonderlnad
Summary: Hope Jones' is through and through her parents' daughter. Stubborn, irrational and have a legacy to uphold. Hope is after circumstances forced to fix her mistakes, no matter the cost. She is a Jones after all, and if it's one thing her father have learnt her, its that a Jones never give up. CS / future. CS kids: time traveling
1. Beginning of the End

_Starting a new story! Finally! I've had this on my mind for a while now, but haven't taken time to write. With three chapter finished I finally feel ready to share the first! Soooo excited! Next part coming_ _tomorrow! Hope you enjoy! x_

* * *

Snow Hope Jones' parents have no ordinary love story. While many of her friends told her stories of their parents' dull meetings or arranged marriages, arranged by their parents, she could in turn proudly tell them stories of how her mother and father met, not once, but _four times._

How her mother tied her father to the tree the first time, how she kicked him in the crotch the second, how he got jealous of _himself_ the third, and how he _died_ for her and Henry the fourth. Each tale is more epic than the last, and she takes pride in being the only one she knows (except her brothers of course) who can take claim to those stories as they are her heritage.

She smiles faintly as she watches them from the other side of the diner. She sits shyly in the corner booth, they don't know she's there. Her father has his hooked arm around her mother's shoulders, holding her close to his side. A smile grazes both their faces, and her heart aches. They look happy. They _are_ happy. She wishes she could tell them what's to come.

She studies her mother's features carefully. Everyone had always told her she took after Emma most. Staring at her mother's younger features she finally saw it better. She found her nose, her cheekbones and the apples of her cheeks easily. When Emma smiles at her own mother and Snow turns her head so Hope can see her profile, she sees her own chin in theirs. Something not unlike pride blooms in her chest, and she subconsciously sticks her own chin just a little higher in the air.

She prides in being one of them, she always have. She has carried the Jones' and Charming's name high her whole life. She enjoyed being one of them.

She could sit in her little corner much longer, watching the family she loves with a passion forever. See them smile and talk and laugh, no idea that she is there, and no idea of what she is planning.

She gives herself thirty seconds of happiness. Thirty more seconds to watch them. Her grandmother rocking baby Neal's carriage subconsciously, her oldest brother commenting on something in the conversation before returning to his book, her grandfather's hand coming around her grandmother to draw her closer to him, and her father pressing a quick but loving kiss to her mother's hair, her automatically nuzzling further into his chest.

Tears cloud her vision and she rises suddenly. Throwing a bill on the table and storms past their happy booth she almost runs the last steps to the bathrooms. As she closes the door she tries to breath, tries to get rid of the horrible lump in her throat.

She doesn't know if she could do it. She would loose them all. New tears well and she places herself by the sink. Staring into her own eyes the mirror in front of her, she curses lightly, knowing she has no choice.

Her face, her hair, and her chin may all be her mother's. But her eyes, though, her eyes are all her father's. She's a Jones; and a Jones never gives up.

Turning with determined steps she swipes her eyes with her sleeve and leaves the diner. She'll get nowhere by crying and she needs to get this overwith. The sooner she does it, the less damage it will leave in the end. She has to fix what she messed up.

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	2. First Night is Always the Hardest

_Here's the chapter, as_ _promised! Planning on posting the next in a week, and keep that up. One chapter a week. Giving me time to work on the chapters and making them as good as possible! Advice for improvement is always welcome! Hope you enjoy! x_

* * *

 _"_ _Why can't I_ ever _come? I want to help!"_

 _"_ _You are seventeen, Hope!_ Seventeen! _"_

 _"_ _I'm no child anymore, mom!"_

 _"_ _Yes, Hope, technically you are."_

 _"_ _You were already pregnant at my age."_

 _"_ _Hope, careful. I swear to god you don't want to keep this fight going. Cause I'm just as stubborn as you, and when it comes to your safety I can assure you, you won't win."_

 _The look her mother gave her would have made even the bravest of warriors cave, but having seen it at least a million times before, Hope only silently mirrored her mother._

 _"_ _Killian?" Emma didn't let go of her daughter's gaze as she called out to her husband, observing from the living room couch. Reluctantly, Killian arose from the couch and strode to their sides. He hated when they fought, both as fiery as the other, often resulting in him having to solve their argument. In turn, for himself, resulting in him either getting a cold shoulder from his daughter for however she felt appropriate, or having to sleep on the couch for as long as his wife deemed appropriate. However, in this argument, he knew any amount of cold shoulder would be worth it. His children's safety was and would always be the main priority._

 _Hope broke the staring contest with her mother to lay her soft puppy eyes on him. Something he usually couldn't resist, and she knew it. But in this case, nothing could make him change his mind._

 _"_ _Daddy?"_

 _Emma sighed loudly by his side, recognizing their daughter's antics. Killian could basically feel her gaze burning at the side of his head. He gave her a comforting look before sighing and turning to Hope fully, ready for her tantrum._

 _"_ _We love you more than anything, cygnet, you know that. You are no child anymore, no matter how much I sometimes wishes for it. But yet, you are only seventeen, my darling, and we cannot loose you. When you turn twenty you can join our fights. That's the exact terms that have been set for your brother's, and the same terms we have set for you. You know this. Therefore you are going to watch Julia and Ruthie, just as we planned—"_

 _She stormed out of the front door before he could continue._

* * *

From distance she watched her parents and her big brother (yet _so_ young here) walking down the streets, Henry walking a couple steps before the couple. Faintly she heard her father say something to Henry, the boy laughing lightly before looking at Emma and laughing even harder. She smiled weakly at Killian smiling sheepishly at her mother, recognizing her father's reaction to _the look_.

They turn a corner and then they're gone. Hope turn around and makes her way to the beach. The way is familiar, yet different. Her favorite childhood climbing tree is not yet tall enough to cast a shadow over the little playground. There's actually still green color on the bench by the pond. The old cannery still smells horribly of old fish, the smell not gentle in any time. She smiles as the Jolly Roger bobs peacefully by the docks. The little familiarity from _home_ comforting her slightly. She settles in the little fishing hut she once fled to after a fight with her mother when she was younger, curling in herself and thinking about her family as she made her mind succumb to her exhaustion.

Nightmares wrenches her awake more than once during the night. She wakes shaking and panting, forcing herself back to sleep each time until the first rays of the morning sunshine shines through the huts timber.

Tired, hungry, and a formed plan in mind, Hope made her way back to the diner to be there already at opening. Heat and a soft seat was highly necessary after a night in a fishing hut.

"Oh Sweetheart, what happened to you?" Granny called when Hope stepped threw the door. For a second she almost thought the old lady knew who she was, before looking down and noticing the mess that was herself. There was mud on her pants and hoodie, she had third day makeup on her face and she didn't even want to imagine what her hair looked like. Yep, she was a complete mess alright, just to talk about her outsides.

"Um, something happened to my mom and I had a fight with my brother, so I slept outside tonight."

Technically it wasn't a lie. She just left some things out. But she needed something to say.

"Oh, sweet girl. It rained tonight, you can get sick! Go home to your family, they must be worried sick for you," Granny told her. She shook her head, this wasn't what was supposed to happen. She needed to get things done, not be banished from the diner. Frantically she tried to come up with an answer that would make Granny leave her alone, and not question her.

"Um, no I can't. Well, I have to solve something first," she nervously told the grey lady. She snorted lightly before filling a cup of coffee and handing it to Hope.

"You sound like the Charmings. If there's anything to solve, they're your people to talk to. Get what you have to done, you're just a child yet, kid. World's a dangerous place, honey," and at that Granny left her to her own thoughts.

She didn't know how long she sat sipping on the coffee, almost falling asleep a couple times. Each time asking herself if Granny maybe gave her the decaf she knows always gets leftover.

Turning around to leave, she was shocked when something hot suddenly attacked her torso, a surprised yell accompanying it. It took her more than a few second to register the burning heat of the coffee spilt on her blouse, too busy staring into the eyes she'd seen the light leave forever just days before. Emma apologized profusely before reaching for the napkins, not noticing the very familiar features of the girl before.

* * *

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	3. First Meeting, Last Meeting, maybe

She'd always been a daddy's girl, just as much as Liam was a total mama's boy. She could faintly remember them as children, Liam only content with their mother's get-better-kisses-and-hugs when he cried (which he did _a lot_ ), and herself refusing to sleep at night unless her dad tucked her in and told her a swashbuckling story from his and her mom's past. Liam sat opposite their mother at the dining table, and Hope their father. Everyone she knew was aware of this ordeal in their family. She was a daddy's girl.

Yet, when she stood face to face with her mother in the diner, her blouse drenched in hot coffee, she could for everything she held dear not remember why. Before her she didn't see the woman she could fight teeth and nail with, because as her dad liked to say _you are just too much alike,_ but instead she saw the woman who had taught her about self-worth, self-respect and how she always had the right to be who she wanted to be.

The young version of her mother before her reminded her of nightmares wrenching her awake in the middle of the might as a child and her mother coming sooting her and carrying her to spend the remaining night in between her and her father, it reminded her of the pride on her mother's face when she'd finished first place in her middle school's annual track race, and the mother who always stayed up until Hope and Liam was home after a party, and slept by her side to make sure she didn't choke on her vomit on those nights her brother had to drag her home when she'd had one too many shots.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked and snapped Hope from her thoughts. She'd been staring, but hoped her mother only took it as shock to the burning hot coffee. Hope nodded her response.

 _She has the familiar crease in between her eyes; she's concerned._

"You sure? That was all fresh coffee, you could have got a nasty burn."

"I'm fine." _Lie._ "Barley felt it" At least that part was true. There was only a slight buzz on her skin, and she could honestly not say if it was because of the coffee or the situation. Emma seemed reluctant to let her go just like that, but otherwise accepted her answer.

"What's your name, kid? I'm Emma."

Hope fumbled with her words longer than she should, given she was only supposed to give her name. But she couldn't give her real name, that much was certain.

"Um, my name is, ehm… Leia."

 _Lie. She knows. Of course she knows. Even without her superpower she'd known; Leia aint very original, especially in her case._

Without further notice Hope bolted; through the door and just as far away as possible. She found herself stopping by the green bench by the pond, taking a seat and burying her face in her hands.

She'd had everything figured out. She'd calculated everything in smallest detail. Now she didn't know what to do.

* * *

 _"_ _You sure she'll be okay taking care of them alone tonight? She seems tense." Her brother's muffled voice sounded from the hallway._

 _"_ _She'll be fine. She loves the girls, you know that. Its us she's upset with." Emma's voice joined Henry's._

 _"_ _She wants to join us. Haven't you had this discussion before?"_

 _"_ _Too many times. It's been the same rule for all of you; at twenty we won't stop you anymore even if we don't agree on you being involved. We're not going to change our minds now."_

 _"_ _Let me talk to her." She quickly grabbed the book from her nightstand and opened it at random, pretending to be deeply focused on it. She ignored her brother when he sat her on her bed, didn't move a muscle as he placed his arm around her shoulders and tucked her under his arm. She kept reading, despite Henry's gaze on her._

 _"_ _Funny how your bookmark is at least a hundred pages before where you're reading now. You always read without order?"_

 _She sighed, closing her book and folding her arms over her chest._

 _"_ _What do you want, Henry? Are you here to tell me about the rule? Or how it's too dangerous for me? Or how I'm just too young, which makes me an easy target? Save your breath, I've already heard it." Her big brother chuckled warmly, squeezing her shoulder tenderly._

 _"_ _No, I already know you've heard it all. I'm just really here to make you feel a bit better before this whole thing starts."_

 _"_ _Why? It won't change anything"_

 _"_ _Of course it will. Anything could happen, and no matter how angry you pretend to be, I know you're also scared. And worried." Hope knew he was right. Her family had faced countless villains and really had the fighting and winning thing down, but every time it closed up for battle, they all knew anything could happen._

 _"_ _I could help you know. I'm no child anymore," she whispered to her brother. "I want to be helpful."_

 _"_ _Oh, but Hope, you are helping. For me you have the most important job of us all. You are keeping my daughters safe."_

 _Hope sighed, she couldn't argue with Henry when he used those cards. He was a father, worried to leave his children not fully knowing when he'd see them again, and she knew he really meant what he told her. She was keeping what he treasured most safe._

 _"_ _It's not only Julia and Ruthie. When you are here, with them, I also know my baby sister is safe. Then I have one sibling less to worry about out there."_

 _"_ _Nice for you. I have to worry about you all," she almost growled. They were closing in on some sensitive things. Even though she really hated feeling useless, there was other reasons she wanted to be there with her family. She hated feeling out of control, and if she was there, she told herself she'd have more control on the outcome of the fight. And maybe, she even could prevent something happening. Maybe she could prevent losing one of them._

 _Henry was quiet. He knew his sister, and she was ridiculously alike their mother, so he knew she would have to be the one to speak. He couldn't force her. He didn't have to wait long, thought._

 _"_ _I really don't want to lose you," she almost sniffled (although she'd_ never _admit it) as she turned in her brother's arms and buried her face in his shoulder._

 _"_ _I can't promise you won't. I can't promise anything about the outcome of this. But I_ can _tell you about the odds, or remind you rather. We are really skilled. We are really good. We have never lost before. Good always wins, you know that."_

 _"_ _You're right, good does always win. But it doesn't have to win without loss. We haven't lost anyone in so many years, maybe its time again soon."_

 _Henry didn't answer her in a long time. After several minutes she felt his chest heave as he took a breath to answer her._

 _"_ _How about this; we make a deal. I'll keep an extra eye on everyone tonight, making sure nothing happens to them. And in turn, you take care of my girls, yourself included. Watch an extra movie with them, keep them away from sugar, and put them to bed before ten. Then you take care of yourself. Eat that can of Ben &Jerry's that's in the freezer, cuddle up in the sofa or take a bath. Do what you have to do to not worry too much until we're back. I don't know how long it will take this time, but I'll take care of everything out there. I can even make sure to send you a 'all good' text by ten. Ok?" _

_She didn't really have a choice in the matter, but her brother's deal made her feel slightly better. So she nodded into his shoulder._

 _"_ _But you have to promise me one more thing, though. You have to make sure to make sure nothing happens to you as well. I wouldn't survive without my big brother." Henry laughed, making her insides warm a little at the vibration of it._

 _"_ _I promise, sweetheart. I'll be fine. I have too much to fight for here for anything to get to me." With that he kissed her head and squeezed her once more before letting her go and moving towards her door. He stopped by the doorframe and looked back at her once more._

 _"_ _Mom had already put on 'Peter Pan' despite Killian's protests when we arrived, so the girls are watching that for now. Then, Julia has specifically ordered to see 'Swan Princess', so you know what you're in for tonight. I'll text you at ten, don't worry. Everything will be fine. I'll see you later."_

 _Right at that moment, she didn't worry. It wasn't until 10._ _30_ _that night that she started thinking that maybe she should have. Henry hadn't texted her._

* * *

"So Granny tells me you came in alone this morning. And something about your mother."

Hope tensed as she heard Emma's voice beside her. She hadn't even hard anyone approaching, even less sitting beside her on the bench. She didn't answer; she had no answer. With her head still buried in her hands, she could only hope her mother would get the hint and leave her alone to figure out her next step.

Emma sighed deeply when she didn't get any response.

"Okay, here's the deal. I don't know you, kid, but I'm not stupid. I get your name isn't Leia. I realize that even without bolting out of Granny's without reason it's not a great cover name. But, since you obviously go by a fake name, and whatever Granny said about your mom, I take it you're in trouble, or trying to solve some trouble. I can help you. But to do that I need to know what we are solving, and most importantly who I am helping. You're just a kid, you don't have to do anything alone. There are a lot of people in this town who can help, of you let us."

Hope was quiet for a long while, contemplating. Could she help? Maybe this was what she needed. It took har at least five minutes to decide. She finally looked up and met her mother's gaze, seeing her mother gasp when she really took in the girl before her.

"I'm Hope and I'm your daughter."

* * *

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	4. Lesson Learned: Listen to Your Parents

_Thank you SO much for the wonderful response after the last chapter! All the follows and favorites have really put a smile on my face, and the reviews have made my entire week! Thank you so much! Thanks to the amazing reviews I've received, I decided to sit down and finish the chapter immediately for you! Motivation really strikes when you get good response, haha! (And its almost half past two at night here, and I have school at eight tomorrow, so...)_

 _I've planned on updating once a week, on fridays or saturdays depending on what my schedule looks like, but with this amount of respons, maybe I'll update more regularly!_

 _Anyway, thank you sooo much for the reviews, I really appreciate them! And for sneak peeks before the "big updates" and other things, check out my tumblr; sweetwonderlnad_

 _Really hope you enjoy this chapter! xx_

* * *

 _She'd checked on the girls at least seven times in the last halfhour, and her phone at least a hundred. Every time left her with a bigger knot in her stomach when her screen was just as empty as the last time she checked. Henry hadn't texted._

 _She'd said to herself that she couldn't panic until 11 o'clock. However, time was closing in and she was preparing to leave. She had figured out the code to her parents' safe lock ages ago, and she knew her mom hid a couple extra guns there. Just in case._

 _So with a gun and her phone before her, an app monitoring and keeping her updated on her sleeping nieces upstairs and sound on high alert in case a text came in, she counted down the minutes until eleven. Then she would go out there._

 _10.59. She had never wanted a text more in her life, not even during that time she obsessed over_ _Philip_ _and had her heart set on him being her true love. (Obviously that was no more than teenage hormones on highwire: something she learned the hard way.)_

 _11.00. The adrenaline made her almost skittish, but she took action the second it became full hour. She peeked in the girls' room once more, smiling softly at Ruthie's open mouth and loud breath, and Julia's arm protectively around her little sister's waist._

 _Certain they were settled, she put the gun in her waistband and stepped out of the door._

* * *

"So, Hope, huh?" Emma's voice was the first to sound after many awkward minutes. Seven couple of eyes stared her down, and all Hope could feel was amusement. This whole thing was _so_ like them. Crisis meetings or whatever, whenever something happened, everyone gathering together.

"Yep, you always say that's what you needed most at the time, so when I was born that was it. Hope I was."

Emma was still in shock, hadn't said many words since her revelation by the pond. Just a couple 'okay, kid. I think we need the whole crew for this' , 'You sure the coffee didn't burn you?' , 'Just called Killian… your dad… whatever, he's on his way with the others, anyway' , and a few 'oh my god' and 'Is this really my life?'

While her mother seemed to find it hard to take in the idea of a future daughter, her father looked like he'd never received better news. When he entered the sheriff's station he'd taken one look at Emma to make sure she was okay, before his eyes fell on Hope and a huge sheepish smile had spread on his lips. A smile that he hadn't dropped, and didn't look like he would any time soon.

The contrast between her parents was really amusing. Something she had to bite her lip hard not to laugh hard at, and scare her mother even further.

"So you are mine?" Killian's question was really unnecessary, they all knew she was. She gave him her best smile.

"Yep" Her smile grew brighter as her father's (impossibly but very clearly) also did.

"Mine and Emma's?"

"Yep"

"I have a daughter! Swan, we'll have a _daughter_!" The warmth in her chest grew. She always knew she was wanted. Her father always told her how she and Liam and the rest of their family was more than he ever could have dreamt about during his darker years. But this, seeing this; she'd never known just _how_ wanted she was before.

Her dad always said he had a hard time saying no to them, always wanting to see them at their happiest, and just that instinct is what Hope blames when she opens her mouth next.

"Actually, you also have a son. Except for Henry of course!" At this revelation, Hope is almost worried about her father when an almost unhuman noise breaks from his lips in joy. But it's her mother that speaks next.

"You have another brother, as well?" Her voice was high-pitched and Hope knew her mother well, the look in her eye told her she tried desperately to make sense of everything in her head.

A snort from somewhere in the room makes Hope's attention turn and focus on Regina instead.

"You really didn't think you and Guyliner here would reproduce, Swan? I bet there's not just one more of them."

Hope took a few seconds to take in the woman. Regina was her aunt at home, they were all very close, and she couldn't ever imagine not having Regina and Robin and their family in her life, but she could clearly see a lot of change had to happen before that dynamic could be possible. Instead of looking at Hope with the pride and admiration of an aunt, Regina almost looked at her as a threat. She had of course heard the tales of everyone in her family, and knew Regina wasn't always… well… good. She was clearly not evil here either, but still had a long way to go to become the loving woman Hope knew so well. Hope couldn't help but get a little bit proud, though, for what her aunt got through. Regina's sassiness was ever present here as in Hope's time, and she couldn't help but to give her some leverage.

"Well, I do usually say I have six siblings." A smirk replaced her amused smile when everybody in the room froze and stared wide gazed at her. David even muttered a low ' _seriously?'_ whilst Emma arose from her seat and strode across the room before looking intently at her.

"Six? Really, six more?" She asked, and Hope almost felt bad now; the sound of her voice telling her, her mother was on the verge of freaking out completely.

"Well, not biological of course. And you aren't the parent's of everyone." Everyone seemed to release a breath and she gave a chuckle.

"I count both my uncle and my cousins as my siblings so, theres why we're so many, me being the youngest of us all. I just share you as parents with two brothers, Liam and Henry, even though Henry is kind of shared. But you could figure that out."

"Liam? Your older brother's name is Liam?" Killian stared at her with an even more apprehensive look now, and Hope melted a little inside. She knew how much her father's brother meant to him, and how much it meant to him that his sons name honored his brother. He had told them more times than she could count, of how brave of an uncle they had somewhere up in the stars. Of how convinced her father was that his big brother looked down on them. Even though she knew a memory potion would make them all forget this and go back to making the future happen, she was glad she could tell her father all this and see all the emotions toward his future family herself.

"Yes, and he is a big brother who is extremely upset with his little sister right now."

The familiar new voice from behind Hope made everyone in the room freeze anew.

 _Oh Crap_

* * *

 _The streets were quiet. Shivers ran down her spine, and she knew it wasn't from the cold._

 _If everything was alright, why was it quiet? Maybe everything was over, and everyone was on their way home. But why hadn't Henry texted, then? No, something was definitely wrong._

 _She walked until she didn't know how long she'd walked for, or where she even were anymore; letting her gut lead her. Was Storybrook even this big?_

 _Smoke in the distance caught her attention and she let it lead her the last way._

 _She was met by utter chaos when the source of the smoke came into view. She couldn't even tell which side was where, people everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Clearly nothing was settled yet._

 _Before she knew any else she was in the middle of the chaos and harshly thrown into the reality of the situation. And suddenly she realized what her parents had been talking about; she wasn't ready for this. She had nothing here to do._

 _But, being as it was, she tried to make herself useful. She searched the crowd for anyone. Any family. But everything was strangely blurry, and her adrenaline made her dizzy._

 _She spotted Henry by the edge of the 'battlefield', unmoving with Liam hovering over him. A scream left her lips and she run, tears threatening to spill over._

 _'Not Henry. Please, not Henry. Ruthie and Julia needed their father. He was the one to break the pattern, he couldn't leave his kids! He couldn't leave them,_ her!'

 _Her sprint was halted by arms wrapping around her, and suddenly everything seemed to halt to a stop around her. She realized she wasn't in safe arms first when her mother and father's fearful screams reached her._

 _"Hope!"_

 _"NO!"_

 _Her father ran towards her. But her mother was closer._

 _Oh, how she wish she wasn't._

 _How she wish she'd never left the house._

* * *

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	5. A Sacrifice for a Sacrifice

_Thank you sooo much for all the reviews! Everyone warms my heart and put a smile on my face! I really really appreciate you taking some time to write me something!_

 _Here is the next part. I have been thinking about how this scene was going to unfold for a long time now, so that's why the chapter is a little late; I wanted to make all the pieces fit together. But here it is! What do you think about what I came up with? I would love to hear what you think! Next chapter will probably be up on friday!_

 _Enjoy! xx_

* * *

 _To have a near death experience is one thing, but to be able to say that you've been in death's embrace have never been so literal._

 _Hope hadn't even known who or what they were up against when she decided to join the battle. Stupid, really._

 _Hope was surprised not to find Death, or the Grim Reaper, och the Grim, or whatever he was called, in a long black cape. That's how he was always presented. The whole concept of him scared her as she looked at him; a very ordinary man on the outside. Death could be anyone._

 _Death isn't cruel, though. No, he does nothing but his job. But he, as well as everybody else has principles. Once he has chosen his victim and placed them within his arms, he does not spare them any chances to escape._ Unless _, someone offers to go in their place._

 _That's where Hope found herself. Chosen and captured, ready to leave this world for the next, but blessed to stay._

 _Emma reached Hope's side and wrenched her out of the man's arms, gathering her daughter in her own._

 _"_ _No, please, not my daughter. She is just a girl. She didn't know what she was doing," her mother pleaded. But Death shook his head reaching for Hope with a pale hand._

 _"_ _You know the rules. I already spared your oldest this evening, for now, at least. But the girl needs to come with me. My embrace have marked her. She can't escape her fate."_

 _Hope's arms had never been tighter around her mother's waist, hoping against all odds she couldn't be taken if she just held on tight enough._

 _"_ _Unmark her."_

 _"_ _No, that's not how it works I'm afraid." Despite her tight grip on her mother, she found herself in Death's arms before either if them could do any more. Emma looked near desperate at this point._

 _"_ _Please, Gabriel,_ please _. She is just a child. Not even you could be this cruel. I won't let her go. I will climb the walls of the underworld if I have to, to get her back. I've done it before and for her, I'll do it again any day. I will create literal hell down there, and you know I can." The threat was not a bluff, but also not a sure one; her mother had no way of knowing if she could reach the underworld again._

 _"_ _Just because it worked once doesn't mean it will work again. Hades have made his changes, and the only to enter is me and the souls I bring, and the only to leave is me. You wont get in this time. He knows your ways now. He know you now."_

 _Hope could see her mother thinking, desperately trying to find a way out of this, tears spilling over as she couldn't find one. Hope's own tears kept rolling down her cheeks. That was it. She was never going to see any of them again. She felt herself shaking, and didn't know if it was from the tears, her fear or if it was her soul leaving._

 _"_ _Take me in her place! Let her live."_

NO!

 _Suddenly Hope was released, and crumbled to the ground. Her mother's hands cradled her face and she kissed her forehead affectionately, whispering a quiet 'I love you forever, my sweet girl. Tell your brothers the same', before standing and reaching for Killian._

 _Her parents didn't embrace for long, knowing time was of the essence, but still managed to make so much out of it._

 _The desperation told of how much they loved each other._

 _The tears told of how much they would miss each other._

 _The acceptance told that they both understood why._

 _Her hand on the back of his head, where it rested only when comfort was needed, told of how well they knew each other._

 _Their grips tightening told of how scared they were of losing each other._

 _When their time was up Emma was the one to let go, Killian in no shape to take that step. She cupped his cheek in her hand and gave him a final loving look._

 _"_ _Thank you for our future. It was perfect."_

 _She took a step back, letting Killian gather Hope in his arms, none of them hiding their despair. A smal smile grazed her lips._

 _Death took a leap and emerged into the air, making his way out of the field along with the white shimmer of Emma's soul; the light in her eyes fading until there was nothing left, her body crumbling to the ground before their eyes._

 _It was over. Death got what it wanted. Those left behind had to pick up the pieces and grieve their loss._

 _The cries of despair and loss echoed far, as it only can when one part of a whole have been lost to the other forever._

* * *

"Liam"

Hope didn't have to turn to know her brother stood behind her. She knew they would look for her when they found her plan, but never expected them to follow her.

Everyone in the room was quiet, no one knowing how to handle the new addition to the company. Slowly she turned to look at her older brother, taking a step back when she took in his appearance.

He wore the same clothes he'd done the night Death took their mother, his hair was more disheveled than usual, and he couldn't have slept in at least four nights. His normal prim self (except for his hair, cause that was a hopeless case) looked wrecked and torn. He looked tired and dirty. And here she thought she'd had a horrible few days.

"Liam, what happened?"

"What happened? Really? Well, my mom died, not even saying goodbye to me. My dad is inconsolable, scared, hurt, and grieving. I've never seen dad cry before, now he doesn't stop. My grandparents have just lost a daughter so they can't step up. Everyone is miserable, and then I have a fight with my little sister and she goes on a suicide mission, so instead of grieving, we have to go after her. Everything is wrong, Hope. Everything happened. Everything is a mess."

Hope didn't know how to respond. She just stared at him. The last time she'd seen him he'd told her of how everything was her fault. Of how stupid she was. And everything else she already knew. When she left she knew she'd probably never see him again. Now he stood in front of her and she didn't know how to handle that. She desperately wanted to hug him, for him to tell her that everything would be alright. But she didn't know how much he still blamed her, or if he even wanted to be near her.

"I'm sorry," Hope whispered and heard how small she sounded. Liam's eyes softened at her tone, he took two big strides forward and gathered her in his arms; breathing her in and holding her tight as she could no longer hold her tears. The relief and grief confused her, but the safety of her brother's arms was at least a small comfort. Liam rested his cheek on the crown on her head, whispering so only she could hear.

"I'm sorry too. God, I almost thought we lost you as well."

"Emma's dead?" Killian seemed to have caught up with the truth. Brother and sister broke their hug, Hope dried her tears and Liam nodded, taking in their audience.

"Yeah, that's why I'm here. I need your help to change what happened. We need our mom," Hope almost begged, hoping and praying they would offer their assistance.

"What's your plan?" David was the one to ask.

"Well, my plan. Yeah, well, I tried to find the source of why mom died. It was Death who took her, and that is hard to change. Really what we have to change is what happened before that. We have to prevent it to happen further back. Um, I calculated exactly where and when I had to be, so that it'll work. So all you have to do is really just agree on it and take a memory potion and thats it. Really. Yeah," Hope rambled, trying to explain, but not reveal her true intentions. Her brother being the exception, everyone in the room looked beyond confused.

"What does that even mean?" Snow questioned, looking between her two youngest grandchildren. Hope hesitated, she really didn't want her plan to be pushed down. She had already come to terms with it, now everyone else just had to do the same. She sighed when her brother opened his mouth, knowing he would rat her plan out.

"It means that she thinks she's found the source of mom's death; herself. She has calculated the time perfectly, so I'll still be born. You might wanna take a pregnancy test, mom. But what you have to agree on is to never have any more children. Cause if Hope is never born she can never be the reason of your death. She wants to erase herself from existence. Her end will be your salvation."

* * *

 _Leave a review and you'll make my day! x_


	6. Truths Spilled

_"_ _This is your fault." Liam's voice was no more than a whisper, but Hope heard her brother loud and clear._

 _"_ _I'm sorry?" Her brother looked up at her with a snap of his head._

 _"_ _It's all your fault. You never listen to mom and dad, and now, because of you, mom is dead. And that is your fault!" Liam's voice raised for every word he spoke, and before long, he was screaming at her. Hope felt tears pick her eyes, but refused to let any fall. She knew her brother spoke the truth._

 _The silence in the room was almost deafening. It was like everyone in the room held their breaths. For what Liam had said or what was to come, Hope didn't know, and could honestly care less. The adults had left all their kids in one room to take care of the most important, so it felt strange to feel so small around the people who wasn't that much older. But it was better to be alone, than having her father hear what was going on. He didn't deserve that._

 _The amount of times Hope had seen her father cry she could count on one hand, no pun intended. She remembered him crying once when she was a girl, and overhearing something about her parents talking about a little brother who was wronged by everyone he ever encountered, left orphaned by his own brother and in the end followed his father's and the older brother with his name to a world with a one way ticket. Her father had blamed himself, she remembered. Always blamed himself, never saw what everyone else saw. Her parents had never spoken about it again, and Hope never brought it up._

 _Another time had been when Hope was still in love with Philip Jr; and he'd convinced her to come on a camping trip with him and his friends. They had been 6 people going, forcing her to sit in Philips lap on the car-trip there. Not that she minded at the time. Not until she woke in a hospital bed with two broken ribs, a punctured lung, and two hysteric parents. She had been the only one without seatbelt, so when the car flipped, she'd been the one to give every surface in the car a touch, and get most injured in the process. Liam and Neal later told her she'd looked really fragile and small in that bed, and even though the doctors had assured them she'd be fine, it was hard for them to believe at the sight of her. So thats why he cried then, she figured. (Philip was totally banned from visits after that. A few months and a big revelation later, she didn't mind that one bit.)_

 _So seeing her father so inconsolable holding her mother's body really set everything in perspective for her. If she hadn't realized the seriousness of the events as they unfolded, she undoubtedly did at that sight._

 _Her grandparents wasn't really any better in the matter, which forced Regina and Robin to step up and take charge. The sent Belle away to take care of Killian, Snow and David and give them some time to just grieve before they'd have to put on a brave face for their children. Even though Wilma also had tears in her eyes, she looked considerably collected. So with a kiss on her forehead by her father, Robin tasked her with getting all the younger ones out of the field and back to Julia and Ruthie. Regina took Henry to the hospital to get all patched up, and Robin called an ambulance to have Emma's body moved, as soon as he'd gotten her out of Killian's protective grasp._

 _The damage was palpable. A broken family, and all her fault. That hurt, especially hearing it from her beloved older brother. His words making her flinch harder thinking about Neal's streaming tears, Wilma's broken voice, Roland's shaking hands and Daniel's muteness; realizing it all was her doing._

 _Her head snapped up when the silence broke and her uncle spoke._

 _"_ _Liam, enough. I know you are hurting, we all are, and that is okay. But this wasn't Hope's fault. She was worried and scared and did what she thought was right. We all lost someone we love tonight. I lost my sister, my parents lost their daughter. Roland, Wilma, and Daniel lost an aunt. Julia and Ruthie, they lost a grandmother. Your father, he lost his, well true love doesn't even seem like a big enough word, but that's what it is. And you two and Henry have suffered the loss of your mom. You lost your mom. Its okay to grieve, but don't take it out on each other. You need each other now."_

 _"_ _I lost my mom," Liam whispered, ignoring the rest of Neal's words and looking as if he only in that moment really realized the truth. Her brother's rage settled and turned into grief and sorrow, and the sight of it hurt even more than his words had, and when Liam's first tear fell a waterfall welled from her own eyes._

 _Her sobs sounded loud. Liam stared blankly at her and she stared right back. She couldn't read him. He looked betrayed, but there were something more hiding there. A gasp escaped when she figured it out._

 _"_ _You wish it'd been me, don't you." Liam blinked but didn't say anything, and her heart fell._

 _"_ _Liam, stop," Daniel warned, finally speaking up, but her brother didn't say anything, didn't change his mind._

 _Hope gave a small nod. She really couldn't blame him; she felt the same after all._

 _"_ _I'm going to fix this." A plan had already started to form in her head._

 _"_ _You can't. Dead is dead. The underworld is closed for us, only a one way ticket down. The next time we'll see mom is the day we die. The only thing you can do is live with this until that day comes." Liam finally spoke up, his voice hollow. The rejection lay thick in the air but Hope only shook her head._

 _"_ _I_ will _fix this," she stubbornly promised, and with a plan in mind, she departed._

 _They let her leave._

* * *

"So this is a suicide mission. Literally." Regina was the one to break the silence which had occurred after Liam revealed her plan. Hope shook her head.

"No. Not exactly." She just wanted everyone to understand, and looking around the room, no one of them seemed to be even close to understanding.

"But you don't plan on surviving?" Regina asked slowly, trying to make sense of the given information. She seemed to be the only one collected enough to ask questions. Hope rolled her eyes and turned to her aunt.

"I don't plan on ever have existed. You won't even remember me, or know there's ever been a me. So you wont grieve or anything. The other way around, you'll be happier, probably. I won't ever have lived. And if you have never lived you can never die." She could feel herself rambling, trying to make sense of everything, both for the others and herself. By the look of everyone, she didn't do well, rather they only looked more skeptical.

"And that's not a suicide mission how?" Her brother asked beside her. A wave of anger swept through her.

"Okay, maybe it is a suicide mission. But one will have to go, and rather me than her, right?" Hope snapped, her voice laced with anger and hurt and her hair flying around her as she abruptly turned to look her brother in the eye. His eyes softened and turned sad. His feet shuffling, and his hand twitching to scratch at his neck. She could see him trying to find words to explain himself, but a voice in front of them made them turn.

"You told your sister that?" Their father didn't even sound angry, only hurt. Hope sighed, she hadn't wanted them to find out, knowing both her parents would be more hurt than angry, and more hurt than she could ever be content when her brother got a lesson for his words. Liam seemed to have figured the same, but only looked ashamed and ready to explain his actions. They all waited for his words, everyones faces hardened a bit.

"I know it isn't an excuse, but I was hurt, and really just needed someone to blame. My mom died on me, and I never got to say goodbye."

"But she told me to tell you -"

"I know. But I really don't care. You got to hear her say it. I didn't. I know mom loves me. But she told you, not me. Her last words to me was 'Go to Henry, make sure he's okay.' That's not the same. And I needed someone to blame, and you were the easiest one. I didn't even think about the fact that you actually witnessed it, though. I don't have to live with that. And I don't think I'd want to either. I know how you felt when I said that now. Dad's furious at me back home. Losing you after just losing mom did not come as a good surprise. If anything happened to you he'd blame me. And I don't want that."

"So, you are here so dad won't blame you?" She'd almost felt some of the hurt from his words fade, but it returned at his words. Liam looked shocked, shacking his head and looking like he wanted to reach for her again.

"No. Hope, no. I'm here because when dad found that note and made me explain, I realized how wrong I was. You are my little sister. If _anything_ happened to you I'd blame myself. I'm supposed to take care of you. I even remember promising mom and dad that when you were born, which may be one of my first memories. I realized how scared I got of the prospect of losing you. Parents are meant to protect, and mom did that. You are so important. I'm sorry I made you feel otherwise."

The hug Liam then gave her warmed her to her heart, and she sniffled a little against his chest.

"And off the record, Daniel would kill me on the spot if I let anything happen to his best friend," he chuckled into her ear, and she pushed away from him, giving him a mocking glare. She gazed at the, almost forgotten, people around them, who looked both confused and skeptical. Emma's hand rested on her stomach, obviously shocked by Liam telling her of her pregnancy with _him_.

"I need to do this. You need to let me fix this." Hope's voice was soft, but determined. "I've come to terms with this. You all just need to do the same."

Killian shook his head, not looking convinced at all, and Hope was surprised. Given the love Hope knew her parents shared she didn't think he'd be the first to protest.

"No. I'm sorry. No, you can't do this."

"But it's your wife, it's your Emma…" Hope's voice died when Killian walked over to where Emma stood, and gathered her in his arms, but he didn't say any more. Emma herself was the next to speak, her voice soft and her eyes even more gentle.

"I'm sorry, but no. I'll be happy to take that memory potion and live the future. I'll be happy to bring you two into the world and see you grow up, and no matter the reasons I'll be happy to die for you. I'd die for my child any time now, and I don't think that will change when I get two more. Twenty years of happiness before saving my child, that does sound pretty good to me. So, no, I will not make any promises. I'm sorry."

Hope was out the door before Liam's comforting hand reached her shoulder.

* * *

 _Leave a review and you'll make my day!_


	7. Father-Son-Fight, Mother-Daughter-Talk

_"Dad."_

 _Killian hadn't bothered drying his tears and Liam didn't bother mentioning them. His father, grandparents and Robin had come to join the younger ones, Regina staying with a recovering Henry. Wilma had mentioned them wanting to adress what happened and "work through it together". It was probably his grandmother's idea, neither his father nor his grandfather looked especially ready to talk about anything._

 _"Liam," Killian muttered before pulling his son into a hug. "I'm so sorry, lad."_

 _"She's really gone?", He asked, both knowing and fearing the answer at once. Killian nodded and took a shaky breath, realeasing Liam reluctantly._

 _"Yeah, she really is."_

 _"So what's your plan on getting her back?" Killian looked startled by his sons words. He shook his head slowly and put his hand on Liam's shoulder, as if touching him would make him understand._

 _"Liam. Your mother is gone. I'm so sorry, but we are going to have to get used to a life alone from now on."_

 _Liam knew. He really did know that his mother was dead, but he hadn't expected was for his father to give up so easily. He was Captain Hook after all, and she was the savior! Nothing stopped them. They always find each other in their family._

 _He wrenched himself from his father's grip and stared at everyone in the room, betrayed._

 _"No. She came for you! You can't just leave her! We can get her back!" His father shook his head once again._

 _"I wish, lad. If there was anything we could do, believe me I would do it. Not just for me, but for everyone. She is so important. If I could, I would get your mother back. For you and Henry and Hope. But there is nothing any of us can do. Liam, I'm so sorry."_

 _"But the underworld… You got there once, I get that it's not easy. But there is a way down. There is always a way."_

 _"No, Liam. Emma is not in the underworld. If she were, I would already be there. The underworld is for people with unfinished business. That's not her, and we should be happy about that. She has moved on. She had a good life with us, and she died saving the ones she loved. She is somewhere better now, my boy. We have that much comfort."_

 _She wasn't in the underworld? Liam's heart was heavy, and he was close to tears again. Sure, there was a part of him that was relieved that his mom was in a better place, and not stuck in the underworld. But she wasn't with him, and selfishly, he wished she was, even though his dad said she was in a better place._

 _"Where is Hope?" Killian's voice broke Liam's thoughts and he felt himself turning red. He refused to look at his father, embarrassment over yelling at his little sister already creeping in. In a second the room had gained a tension you could cut with a knife. Liam flinched when his father immediately raised his voice, sensing something was wrong._

 _"Liam, where is your sister?" he bellowed. Daniel elbowed him gently in the ribs, and he prepared himself for the rage._

 _"I don't know."_

 _"What do you mean you don't know? She is supposed to be with you. What happened?"_

 _Liam mumbled incoherently, and could feel his father's growing anger and fear._

 _"Liam David Jones, where is your sister?" Finally Liam looked up into his father's eyes, and just like he suspected they shone with anger, sadness and fear._

 _"We had a fight. I told her it was her fault mom died, which is true. Had she not run out despite you telling her not to, this would never have happened. Mom would still be alive and here. I told her I wished it'd been her instead, and then she ran out. I don't know where she is."_

 _At each and every word Liam spoke his father's disappointment grew and he was out the door before Liam had finished his final sentence. Dread grew in the pit of Liam's stomach when the door closed behind his father. His sister was just as reckless and their mother had been. If she did anything stupid it would be his fault. And knowing his sister, she would probably come up with some more than stupid trouble to get herself into._

 _"You told her this is her fault?" It was his grandmother who spoke up. He looked around the room, and seeing the look on everyone's faces made the last piece of anger disappear and be replaced by guilt. What had he done?_

 _Her ran the same way his father did._

* * *

"Thought I'd find you here."

They were back where they started. Emma finding her daughter on the bench by the pond, after she'd once again run off.

Hope only huffed. There was nothing more she could do. If she was born, her mother's days were numbered. She refused to let that happen, but still felt so powerless; which she told her younger version of her mother. Emma chucked softly, taking a seat beside Hope, though leaving space between them.

"You are not the problem here, Hope. Non of what happened in your own time was your fault," Emma told Hope.

"You go tell Liam that."

"I could. He was wrong in telling you that. Something I will give him a hard time for when you get back to the future. But he is human, he made a mistake. Just like you did. Doesn't mean either of you deserve to be more than told off." Her mother moved closer and put her arm over Hope's shoulder. Hope moved closer and put her head on Emma's shoulder, basking in her mother's embrace and letting herself relax for just a moment.

She remembered all the times she'd hurt herself as a child, and the comfort of laying her head on her mother's shoulder and being in her embrace was the most soothing imaginable. She remembered the heartbreak she'd experienced when she found out Philip had cheated on her, then laughed at her tears, and the only place she felt safe and protected was in her parent's embrace, and had spent hours and hours on end just leaning on Emma's shoulder. She remembered the time Emma had been hurt in a fight and Hope had been so very worried about her, and the only comfort she accepted was to rest her head on her mother's shoulder, cause then she just _knew_ everything would be okay.

But not this time. This time, she would have to return to her time, and her mother would still be gone and it would still be her fault.

"You wont be able to give Liam a hard time for being mean if you're not there, you know."

Emma snorted softly and hesitantly pulled her daughter closer to her, trying to give strength and take away her burdens.

"Oh, but I will be there." Immediately, Hope untangled herself from the embrace and looked at Emma. Had she changed her mind? New hope flared in her chest. But Emma gave her a look and shook her head.

"No, I am not going to erase one of my children from the existence so I can yell at the other." Hope sighed and mumbled a barely distinguished _you'll still not remember you had me_ , making Emma laugh softly and reach for a strand of Hope's hair, tenderly placing it behind her ear. She had a soft look in her eyes and a small smile Hope recognized played on her lips.

"You are very much like me. I can imagine your father's had to solve many arguments between the two of us."

Hope only nodded, too much in awe to say anything.

"I wont let you sacrifice yourself, brave girl. But I wont leave you either. There is other ways, there is always another way. We'll find it, and when you two go back to your time I'll be there waiting, ready to tell you both off for putting yourself in danger. And maybe curing your father's heart from the fear this little adventure had put him through." Tears had formed in Hope's eyes and they spilled over at the laugh Emma put on her lips.

"You've got a plan?" Hope's voice sounded small, but she was too relieved to care. Emma cupped her daughter's cheeks and nodded, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Of course I have a plan. Come on. Let's go talk to the other's and get the two of you home."

* * *

 _"Dad!"_

 _Killian didn't stop at his sons words. His anger was very obvious and almost visible around him._

 _"Dad! Wait, I'm sorry, Dad!" Liam's words cut through the air, and Killian finally stopped; whirling around to face his son. His eyes were frantic and Liam flinched at his father's scared posture. He sounded out of breath when he spoke, his voice cracking and wheezing._

 _"You don't even know what has happened, do you, Liam?"_

 _Killian was cradling a piece of paper in his hand, holing it to him like it was the most precious thing. Liam had never seen his father like this; the cool and collected man he knew looked desperate and frantic. It scared him, that between everything else that had happened the past couple of hours, he could barely even recognize his father; when he really was the one person Liam needed most at the moment. His mother was gone, his older brother was in the hospital, and he had no idea where his sister was, so he needed his father to be the rock, cause Liam knew he couldn't do it himself._

 _"Happened? What is happening? Dad, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'll tell Hope I didn't mean what I said-"_

 _"You may be too late for that." Killian's features had softened slightly, seeing Liam's distress. But the fear remained._

 _"Too late? What have she done? Where is she?" Killian didn't answer, only looked down on the piece of paper he was holding, his hands trembling._

 _"Dad! Where is she?" Liam's voice cracked, fear sweeping him in like a cocoon. What had she done? Where was she?_

 _"Gone." Killian said, and with one lonely tear making its way down his cheek, he shakily gave Liam the paper he was holding, Liam's pair of equally shaking hands taking it carefully._

 ** _I'm sorry. Dad, I'm so sorry._**

 ** _You once told me of how close mom was of fading from existence, when Regina almost killed grandma. She would never have existed._**

 ** _Neither will I._**

 ** _This is all my fault, but I know you'll be angry with me when you read this._**

 ** _You have to understand I have to fix what I have done. You will have mom back, and you will still have Liam._**

 ** _I know you love me, so you are probably angry and scared now. But in a few hours, everything will be better and you won't know there's ever been a me, cause it won't have been._**

 ** _Tell Liam I forgive him for his words, and don't be angry with him. He was right after all._**

 ** _Do me one favor, Dad, before I'm finished…_**

 ** _Make sure everyone knows I loved them, and that I'm so sorry for my recklessness. You won't remember that later, but I'd feel better if everyone knew. So, please do that._**

 ** _I love you. Remember that, until these words have faded._**

 ** _Hold on to me, until these words are faded; cause that's when I am gone._**

 _Liam could barely believe the words. He recognized his sisters writing, but not her words. How could she write this? How could she just leave them? His throat tightened and his heart squeezed._

 _"Poetic." He hadn't meant to be sarcastic, but he had no other response. Killian had surveyed the streets around them whilst Liam read the note, and the only sign he gave showing he'd even listened to Liam was the tightening of his jaw. He wasn't going to argue with his son any longer, he had more important and grave things to deal with._

 _Suddenly a ray of light burst through the sky, like a column of light and fire the ground decided to throw up. Killian had seen it before, and Liam had had it described to him endless times in his days, so they looked at each other and both knew what it meant._

 _Hope had opened her time portal._

 _There are some perks of being the product of true love. One of them the magic. He gave his father a look, and saw when he understood the meaning behind it._

 _Before the sound of Killian's protest reached Liam's ears he had transported himself to the outside of the barn the portal had opened. She had already gone through, so he hurried, knowing it would close before soon._

 _The light started to fade, but Liam didn't hesitate to jump and felt the portal take him away. He knew the he may never see his family or his time again, but following his sister and making sure she wasn't alone gave him the relief and strength he needed to not break down when he landed on grass and looked up on a clocktower with better paint than he ever remembered it having._

* * *

 _Leave a review and you'll make my day! x_


	8. Finding Our Ways

_Getting close to the end now! Counting on about three more chapters (epilogue included)._

 _I have also got some real interesting reviews and theories about how this is going to go. You are on to something, I will say, but wait and read! Hopefully the next part is coming within soon! Enjoy! xx_

* * *

"So there's you, and Liam and Henry who's mine, right?"

It wasn't out of nowhere her mother asked the question, Hope had practically announced that she had six siblings just hours ago. Obviously her mother would have to wonder.

"Yeah, don't worry, there are no more surprises now, Mom." Emma nodded, but the crease between her eyes told Hope there was more to come. However, she knew her mother, and knew the only way to get her to speak was to give her time. They walked in silence and were almost back at the station when Emma finally stopped them.

"Have you had a good childhood? I mean, since the threats doesn't seem to stop coming in the future, have you been safe? Has it been good?" Hope should hear the underlying _Have I been good?,_ but didn't comment on it. She knew about her mother's fears, heard them more than once during her 17 years. Though, with experience, Hope also learned how to handle her mother's doubts. Don't hold back, don't let her hide.

"You've been good, mom. You have been great. Otherwise we wouldn't be here, you know. We may not always have got everything we wanted, but we had what we needed. With you, and dad, we couldn't have asked for a better childhood." Emma gave her a watery smile, but seemed relieved.

"You are a total daddy's girl, though, aren't you?" The question brought a smile to Hope's lips when she saw the fond sparkle in Emma's eyes.

"Yeah, and Liam is a total mama's boy. But we both love you equally anyway." Emma smiled at that and placed a tender hand on her daughter's cheek.

"We love you equally as well." Emma couldn't actually know that at this pint, but her words were convincing enough to unexpectedly make tears pool in Hope's eyes. She knew the statement was true, but to hear it, that meant so much. Concern swam in Emma's eyes and Hope could already see the self-doubt return. Emma quickly gathered her in a hug, obviously to not let her daughter see the emotions she was fighting.

"You know that, don't you?" Hope nodded into her mother's shoulder and a gentle sob escaped her chest.

"Yeah, I do. We both do. It's just… I'm sorry," Hope whispered, a treacherous tear making its way down her cheek.

"What are you sorry for? You have nothing to apologize for, sweetheart." Pet names was not her mother's strong suit and Hope knew it, but she appreciated the words all the same. She took a deep breath and held on to her mother, knowing whatever plan they would come up with might not work, and it might be the last time she got to be held like this, even if her mother was about 20 years younger than usual.

"I'm sorry for being reckless and getting us into this mess. I am sorry I didn't listen and just stayed at home when you told me to. I'm sorry I always fight you, and sometimes make you and dad get into fights. I'm so sorry for everything, but I just really want to fix this. I really _really_ want you back, because despite everything, you are the whole world to me and I can't live without you. You are my mom, and I know life isn't fair, but I am not going to lose you."

Her words were whispered, and if there would have been people around them only Emma would have heard her. They stood and swayed on the spot for a long while, slowly rocking back and forth, before they broke apart and Emma rubbed along Hope's arms.

"Come on. Lets get you and your brother back to your own time."

* * *

 _"_ _What can we do?" Snow's voice was low, but not low enough for it to be unheard on the top of the stairs. Neal, Daniel and Wilma had been sent upstairs after Killian had come back to the loft in panic, telling everyone about what happened to Hope and Liam. He had been quiet ever since, leaving the plotting up to the other adults._

 _"_ _Is there anything we_ can _do?" Robin's muffled voice said._

 _"_ _Why aren't they letting us help? We get sent upstairs like we are some kids needing protection. We were also out there fighting. We are just as capable as them, if not more. We_ are _the young ones after all." Daniel was frustrated; his dismay about their situation obvious in his words._

 _"_ _Its understandable, Dan. After what happened to Liam and Hope, they just want us to be out of danger." Wilma was sat against a bed on the floor, eyes closed and her burry hair she usually kept in a ponytail was falling in waves over her shoulders._

 _"_ _But we are not in danger! And we are all adults by law. And we care just as much about Liam and Hope as they do. We should be allowed to help," Daniel argued with his sister. Nothing was happening and he was getting increasingly worried. Himself and Hope had been best friends for as long as he could remember. He would help her with boy problems and she would do the same for him. They told each other everything and nothing and he couldn't remember the last time they hadn't spoken for more than 24 hours. He knew her better than he knew himself, and the thought of losing her was driving him crazy._

 _"_ _Daniel, we are still_ their _children, and I don't think they think they care more. They are just trying to do their best in this situation. Trying to compensate without Emma and Killian. Killian is understandably devastated. If everything goes wrong today he might lose both his children and Emma, on the same day. We may all suffer that loss. Give them some slack, would you." There was an edge to Wilmas voice, warning her little brother to press further, but her eyes were still shut close. Wilma opened her eyes when her phone buzzed and Rolands name flashed across the screen._

 _Roland was out looking for some way to help, at the same time keeping an eye and ear towards the hospital and Henry. Henry would recover and was awake and active. Julia and Ruthie had been brought there by their mother to keep him company, and to let Regina tend to this new crisis without having to worry about her eldest._

 _"_ _What does it say?" Neal piped up. He was lying on the bed above Wilma and tried reading the text over her head. He had also been quiet, understanding their parents choices to stick them out of the way and dealing with what could presumably lead to danger themselves. But he also agreed with Daniel. He wanted to help and he wanted to do more than lie on a bed waiting for either one thing or another to happen. Being left out also meant being left to deal with emotions and thoughts all by himself._

 _Despite the unusually big age gap between him and his sister, they had been immensely close. She had really felt like a big sister, and he had seen a lot of himself in her. When he was a child he remembered always spending time at Emma and Killian's house and he still spent at lest a few nights at his sister's home; eating pizza, watching movies, He understood that all of the others also had suffered a great loss at Emma's death, but still he felt a frustration against them. He understood, yet he was angry over their reaction when_ he _had lost his big sister. He felt selfish for thinking such things, when his parents had lost a daughter, Killian had lost his true love and Henry, Liam and Hope had lost their mom. Technically, his loss wasn't the biggest, however the loss was_ his _biggest. Emma was so much, and she meant so much and he was angry. Angry at everyone. So, therefore, he tried to just keep quiet._

 _"_ _Henry is better, he had been on his legs and is impatient to come home and help with the crisis. He hasn't told the girls about Emma yet. And Roland has found where Hope opened the portal, but like we thought it doesn't seem like we can reopen it." Wilma finished with a sigh, which the other two mirrored._

 _"_ _If we only knew where they went, we could go after them." Daniel was pacing the floor, thinking so hard Neal and Wilma almost heard the wheels in his head spin._

 _"_ _We can't, Daniel. It's impossible to know where they went." Neal loved Wilma, he really did, she was the closest in age and the one he had always stuck to, apart from Emma. So he loved her, but at that moment he really hated Wilma for saying what she did. Despite knowing she was right._

 _Daniel sent his sister a dirty look and kept pacing, kept thinking. Wilma closed her eyes and rested her head against the bed again, and Neal laid back down, eyes in the roof and thoughts swirling in his head. Despite the muffled murmurs from downstairs and Daniels pacing, silence filled the room and left them all to their own thoughts._

* * *

 _Leave a review and you'll make my day! x_


	9. We'll fix this (I hope)

_"_ _What if they don't come back?" Killian hadn't spoken since he had burst through the door and announced his children time traveling and risking their lives, and his voice cracked on his words. Since announcing the current, almost three hours before, he had been sat on a chair with his head in his hands and a look of desperate devastation on his face. The others had tried working out a plan, maybe creating a new portal, but had concluded that to take too long. If they were going to act, they had to do it fast. Snow put a hand on Killian's back, and rubbed soothing circles._

 _"_ _They will, Killian. We can't lose hope just yet. They haven't changed anything so far, so we can still get them back." Snow's words were calm, but went unnoticed by Killian._

 _"_ _I couldn't even keep my own children safe. I shouldn't have left them after… I should have been there. Emma would hate me," Killian muttered quietly, mostly to himself, but everyone around him couldn't avoid hearing. They exchanged concerned looks over his head, no one knowing what to say. Truth was, there was nothing to say to make it better. They were all helpless, forced to wait and see, unable to do anything about the outcome._

 _All their gazes flittered to the roof and the remaining clan of "children" residing upstairs. The remaining youngsters had protested when they had been sent upstairs, but they were safer kept away from all this. With Liam and Hope's lives on the line and Henry already in the hospital, they were all the more protective of their remaining children._

 _Wilma, Daniel and Neal were awfully quiet, though the distinct tapping of Daniel's pacing soothed them all. The sound a confirmation that their remaining children were safe and sound upstairs._

 _"_ _Killian, don't. She wouldn't hate you and you know it. They are both practically adults, and this was their own choices. The only thing we can do is try to help them back."_

 _Killian snorted. This was his fault, and if Hope changed the future as she planned or he never saw his children again, he would forever blame himself. And he'd know. Even if Hope's plan succeeded and he no longer remembered her, he'd still know._

 _Suddenly the ground shook, making the windows rattle and everyone in the room exchange looks._

 _And so they all knew. It was too late: it was out of their hands now._

* * *

"She is rather much like her mother, isn't she?"

Emma had followed Hope, Regina and Robin had taken Henry to work on a way for Liam and Hope go back to their own time, and Snow had taken Charming and Neal to Granny's to get everyone something to eat. That leaving Liam in a room, with only Killian.

Liam felt tense, he was not naturally an outspoken person like his sister, and mostly kept quiet and to his closest family. He would say that he had a good relationship with his father normally, though sitting like this with a younger version of him and after what had happened between them in Liam's own time, he felt uncomfortable. Liam didn't realize he hadn't answered until Killian spoke up again.

"Have I ever told you about my brother? The one you got your name from?"

"Which one?" They both chuckled and they both raised a hand to awkwardly scratch their necks, only to both stop mid action when they saw they were mirroring each other, and then drop their hands. Another chuckle escaped them both, equally as awkward about the situation. It actually made Liam feel a little better seeing his father so out of words and awkward.

"Okay, good point, lad. However, it's the older I'm referring to." Killian leaned against the desk behind him, sure tale of him preparing to tell a story. Liam hid a knowing grin behind a hand and took a seat by the other desk.

"You see, my brother, he was a right out idiot at times, but he was good. He was impulsive and he was stubborn, but all the same he believed in good form."

Liam had to force himself not to roll his eyes. _Good form_ was a life lesson that had been taught one too many times in Liam's years. In his own time, he would've rolled his eyes at his father, but in this time his father's attempts at making things better and _talk_ was so amusing that he couldn't not listen. He had heard this speech so many times that he knew what was coming, and his father's next words proved him right.

"Do you know who that reminds me of?"

"My sister, presumably?" Killian nodded his affirmation.

"But you as well, Liam. Your sister is quite obviously very stubborn and _very_ impulsive, but with all good intentions. And so are you." Liam didn't respond, merely looked at the young Killian before him in question. Never before had someone seen him as either stubborn (okay that's a lie. Every time he had a fight with either of his parents or Hope, he was _always_ 'stubborn' according to them.) or impulsive. It had always been Hope who were impulsive. She did things without thinking beforehand, and he was always the one who had to stop her, hence him being where he was.

Killian seemed to have caught Liam's train of thought and smiled, clearly amused.

"If you weren't impulsive, Liam, you wouldn't be here."

Liam swallowed. He couldn't really argue that. Instead he just gave his father a small smile and a nod.

"Yes, by the way," Liam said instead, smiling to Killian, who raised an eyebrow in question. "She is exactly like mom." Killian smiled brightly, and was just about to say something further when they heard two sets of footsteps in the hallway.

"Don't flatter yourself, Liam. I am my own person." Hope rounded the corner with Emma at her heels, face hard but her words missing some of their usual sting.

She walked up to Liam and put her head on his shoulder, her arms coming around him slowly. This was her way of saying sorry for everything, at the same time making sure he knew she wasn't angry with him either. He responded with wrapping his own arms around her. It was a silent apology from both of them, and a way of telling the other they would do the rest together.

Their parents' penetrating looks made them pull apart and an awkward tension set in the air. Killian looked at them with fondness in his gaze, and Emma mirrored his look with just the tiniest bit of panic in her gaze.

It was Liam who spoke up first, attempting to break the tense atmosphere.

"So what did you say? Are we going to end Hope so we can have you back?"

His audience did not appreciate hos joke and he was met with three penetrating stares, almost enough to make him cave if he hadn't been so use to them.

"Don't say that. Obviously we wouldn't allow that," Emma said; Killian nodding along next to her and Hope rolling her eyes next to Liam.

"But we'll find a way. We always do." Killian put his arm around Emma and his nose to her temple. It was an innocent act made intimate. Hope and Liam both knew they were scared; Killian for Emma and both of them for their children. They tried not to show it, but knowing their parents since basically forever, Liam and Hope could tell. Killian would fight to save Emma, no matter in what time, and that calmed Hope. She didn't have to fight this alone.

"First of all we need to work on how to get you home," Regina's voice pierced through the room as she entered, heels clicking and books in her arms. Snow and Charming walked in with takeout bags in their arms and Henry was at their heels, with more books. Robin showed a few steps behind, carrying little Roland in his arms. Liam and Hope smirked at one another, each thinking the same thing. Not only had they got to meet the young version of their big brother and the babyversion of their uncle, but also the little version of Roland.

Roland was a traveler back home. Henry had taken him traveling after he graduated high school; to get him to see more than the streets of Storybrook. They had travelled Europe; visited Lake Garda in Italy, the coast in France, Stockholm in Sweden and London in England. It took Roland all of two months after they had arrived home to get out on the road again. He came home now and then, but mostly just travelled. Finding jobs along the way and moving on to the next place when he was satisfied.

Babysitting Liam and Hope had been one of Roland's first 'jobs'; one he took very seriously. Therefore, they had spent a lot of time with him and, just like all their other cousins/uncle and so on, he was very dear to them. And they would tease him endlessly about the adorable way he in the past time leaned against Robin's shoulder, struggling to hold his eyes open.

The heavy books in Reginas arms made a loud thump as she dumped them on one of the desks.

"All the time travel magic I could find. Rumple doesn't have the wand you two used to get back when Zelena opened the portal a while back anymore. So we have to do this the hard way. Why couldn't you just _know_ how to time travel. That would save us so much time. How did you even get here in the first place?"

"We do _know_ how to time travel. That's how we got here."

Hope's words were met with seven pair of staring gazes and one sleepy, their chins almost hitting their chests. Hope shrugged and Liam sniggered next to her.

"Perks of being the product of true love," Hope tried to explain. It didn't seem to work, since everyone kept staring at them confused. Emma was the first to recover, and looked skeptically over at Hope and Liam.

"That doesn't make sense. I am the product of true love, and I can't time travel, can I?" She almost looked like she was trying, staring at the ground like it would appear a portal to another time right by her command.

"We don't actually know why we can time travel. You have tried to find an answer for years, Regina, but so far there are only speculations. One theory is that we are second generation true love, which according to the books have never existed before. Another is that since our parents time traveled, we have it in us. Like an illness that is passed down to the younger generation, but in a good way. It might be a combination, we don't know."

It was quiet for a few long seconds, everyone processing the information handed to them.

"How did you find out in the first place that you could time travel? Have this happened before?" Snow sounded both worried and awed. Liam and Hope exchanged a look.

"Not exactly. Liam found out first when he was about three, but it was only small things. Like a few minutes back and forth here and there. You kept getting confused, but didn't do anything about it then. One time he even scared you by traveling back to the middle of the night, waking himself and then walking in and standing by the side of your bed 'til you woke up. Dad still says he has never been so scared as when mom woke him screaming that night, and found two versions of his son beneath his bed. You put a stop to it after that. Made him learn to control his magic. When I was born you wondered if the same thing would happen, so you started as early as you could, helping me understand my magic from the very start. So I didn't find out I had the ability until I actually tried it. But we know the consequences, and never use it. Except now."

"Oh, bloody hell. We're in for a run with you two, aren't we?" Killian looked almost pale as he leaned on Emma's shoulder. He didn't look regretful or anything, just accepting that hard parenting days were ahed him.

Regina looked exasperated where she stood and it looked like she struggled for words for a good couple seconds before she found them.

"So you mean that you can travel between time however you want?" She asked, her eyes almost burning Liam and Hope alive. They both nodded slowly, Liam answering her calmly.

"Well, yes. It's a little more complicated than just _however_ we want. But sure, almost." His words almost seemed to aggravate Regina even further and Hope would honestly not have been surprised if she would have stomped the floor with her sharp heel in anger.

"So, you are honestly telling me that you have come all this way, meaning to end your own existence because you felt guilty for your mother's death, when you could have just gone back and stopped yourself from interfering in the first place?"

The room was completely silent, only Roland's heavy breath from his place against his father's shoulder audible.

"Well, I didn't think of that." Hope's words was chocked yet too loud for the deathly silent room. She slowly looked at her brother, and judging by his expression, he hadn't thought of that either. Hope could feel the embarrassment rise in her chest along with the color on her cheeks. She saw some shuffling out of the corner of her eye, and felt her mother's arm wrap around her shoulders and hold her together.

Hope almost chocked on the emotion that hit her. That was her mother on every level, and that was just one of the things she couldn't live without. The constant support and knowledge about what Hope needed without her needing to say anything. She would never again take her mother for granted if she could have her back. She would never again yell or fight her mother, because she was everything, and she was always right and Hope would never do anything to counteract her mother's wishes again.

(Okay even Hope knew that was a stretch, but in that moment, she didn't care. In that moment she really meant it.)

That was why she had done all this.

Hope looked up at her mother, beautiful and so caring she wiped a tear that had fell unnoticed from Hope's cheek.

"We'll fix this," she whispered softly.


End file.
